posted at 11:21 am on April 10, 2014 by Guy Benson

The context for this little chestnut of racial nastiness was a heated floor debate in the Illinois legislature over a proposed education reform bill. The fireworks started when Democratic Representative Linda Chapa LaVia, who is Hispanic, delivered a speech criticizing charter schools. Ms. Chapa LaVia was no doubt casting aspersions on behalf of teachers unions — who’ve contributed heavily to her campaigns, are bankrupting the state, and don’t much care for competition. In defense of the status quo — which traps far too many children, especially children of color, in failing public schools — Chapa LaVia appealed to her fellow minorities within the chamber. In doing so, she took a racial shot at her Republican colleagues, pointedly noting that “we’re all over on this side [of the aisle], right?” That didn’t sit well with some people, including State Representative John Anthony, who is a black Republican (via Champion News):

LaVia: “Listen to me, minorities! I’m over here, because we’re all over on this side, right? What you’ll also find…

[Jeers and shouts from Republicans]

LaVia: “Wait, we have a half. We have a half.”

A half. Is that how Rep. LaVia would refer to a certain former member of the legislature in Springfield? I suspect not. But in the heat of the moment, she needed a shortcut to denigrate the racial “authenticity” of one of her colleagues in order to rescue her inflammatory point. So she sneered “we have a half,” then continued her harangue. Stay classy, Linda.

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Nothing to see here beyond it simply being further evidence that Democrats are the racists in these equations. They are the ones that think race ‘first’, put race ‘first’, and are simply projecting their own racism when they try to play the race card on others.

But you know the REAL racism comes from the GOP and conservatives because they conceal their racism with code words and dog whistles. That’s so much worst that just being outright racist like this “lady”.

Meh! I’m more offended that she and the other Dems (minority or otherwise) hate children enough that they want to keep them in failed schools with incompetent teachers.

Happy Nomad on April 10, 2014 at 11:29 AM

Especially when those incompetent teachers contribute extremely disproportionately to the Dems coffers, ensuring that teachers and pols can retain their jobs and continue their corrupt fleecing of the American citizens.

But you know the REAL racism comes from the GOP and conservatives because they conceal their racism with code words and dog whistles. That’s so much worst that just being outright racist like this “lady”.

KateNE on April 10, 2014 at 11:32 AM

LaVia is as stupid as she is racist. She admits that public schools are worse than charter schools when she talks about the “haves” and “have nots” but since she’s a paid partisan whore of teachers’ union the solution is to force everybody into crappy education instead of working on behalf of children.

The choir sang hallelujah as the congregation of 15,000 clapped and sang along. Reverend James Meeks ratcheted up the intensity of his speech. “Man looks at the outside,” he shouted rearing his head back. “But God looks at your heart! Are you with me here?”

Judging by the response, Meeks had the faithful at Salem Baptist Church hanging on his every word.“One hundred percent with Reverend Meeks,” said parishioner Eugene Harris outside the mega-church on Chicago’s fiercely Democratic South Side.

Meeks is careful not to preach politics from the pulpit. That doesn’t mean he does not have a political side. This former state senator is active as a leader in Chicago’s African-American community and also has considerable political clout.

This gubernatorial election he is not throwing that clout behind the Democrat, incumbent Governor Pat Quinn. Instead, Meeks is lining up behind Bruce Rauner, the wealthy Republican businessman from Chicago’s predominantly-white North Shore.

“The Democratic party just assume always that 97 percent of the African-American vote will go to the Democratic party. If that assumption is true, they never have to work for our vote,” Meeks said.

…

‘Our schools are still broken and getting worse. We’re last in employment or business. Our neighborhoods are deplorable,” says Meeks. “And we still get the same promises from the Democratic party, but we don’t get any deliverable. I think it’s time we should look at another candidate.”

Chicago political analyst Thom Serafin says few Republicans have been able to win statewide in Illinois without collecting 20 percent of the city vote. To do that, a candidate must win a significant portion of the African-American vote. Serafin believes Meeks can deliver. “He understands what it means to turn out the vote here in the city. He is well respected,” he said.

Serafin also believes Meeks can avoid a backlash for breaking ranks with the big Democratic machine in Chicago, because he came up from the street and proved his mettle, both in politics and at the pulpit.

“If you are going to challenge Reverend Meeks, you better have both feet planted on the ground. There aren’t too many people that are able to do that here in this city,” says Serafin.

There’s a similar story going on. Some black Alabama Democrat said Republicans would be for abortion if white women were impregnated by a black man. He also said he’d offer $100,000 to any white person raising a black child.

A rally came together with a bunch of white parents and their non-white children, many of whom were adopted.

Wow! “We have a half”? If anyone in the GOP ever said anything close to that about Obama, they would never find work again in this country. And I don’t just mean in politics.

Doughboy on April 10, 2014 at 11:49 AM

It is clear that the Democrats are the only ones that care about blacks, hispanics, and other minorities. Ms. LaVia is merely expressing the moral outrage of having to protect citizens of color from the old white guys on the other side of the aisle. Sure she’s empassioned but that just comes from caring.

Count me as one of those racists that is getting pretty damned tired of all the talking about race and minorities and the oppressed and wimmins and every other bleeding heart poor put upon group of whiners. Our country is going down the toilet and we are all bunged up about race??

If Barack senior is his father, then he is half Caucasian-American and half Kenyan. Is Frank is his father then he would be half African-American. Either way it is his 100% Communist-American core that is killing America.

Minorities, wake the fluke up. You’re being subjugated by these operators, for votes only. They like you in modern day plantations, uneducated and dependent.

Schadenfreude on April 10, 2014 at 12:11 PM

The thing is that the words “Listen to me, minorities! I’m over here, because we’re all over on this side, right?” seems tame enough. It’s a variation on the theme that Democrats care about the minorities.

But what makes it racist and offensive is the way she turns her back on the other side of the aisle and points her paw and dismisses the “half-breed” as inconsequential.

Read up thread.
And wait. Are you agreeing with me that this is fake conservative outrage?
(I guess he wants me to play with him a little bit)

Walter L. Newton on April 10, 2014 at 12:12 PM

I did.
Whether this one is fake or not, and you seem to think it is – because it’s a “conservative outrage of the day” – would you actually try to deny that there are a lot of “liberal outrage of the day”?

I did.
Whether this one is fake or not, and you seem to think it is – because it’s a “conservative outrage of the day” – would you actually try to deny that there are a lot of “liberal outrage of the day”?

But you’re still easily fooled. If you had actually read up thread, you would have realized that a number of people were well aware of my sarcasm, and never went on looking dim.

Walter L. Newton on April 10, 2014 at 12:23 PM

And a number of others did not. You neglected a sarc tag, and the problem you have, through no fault of your own, that there are more than a few HA commenters that would make a statement like this completely without irony.

As for your comment regarding “newbies”, I have been a member of this site for several years now, and with apologies, I don’t remember seeing you around here before.